Abstract:
The properties of the permafrost immediately beneath the soil was investigated in a range of surfaces disturbed by earlier construction activities such as compacted fill, cut, embankment, retreated snow bank, undisturbed sites, etc., and compared with soils on undisturbed sites from Marble Point and around Scott Base/McMurdo Station. Marble Point is a site with disturbances at least 30 years old ... at the time of study and Scott Base/McMurdo Station were sites with recent disturbances. The soils were examined at 20 sites in the Marble Point area (139 samples) and at 24 sites around the bases (170 samples). At most sites, the soils were examined by excavating a small pit to frozen ground with drilling beyond the top of the permafrost up to 2m from the soil surface. Samples of unfrozen soil and core samples were collected over the examined depth range and field weighed to safeguard against water loss prior to oven drying and moisture content calculations. Some of the samples were used for chemical analyses for baseline soil chemical characterisation and to assess the extent that contaminant materials may have leached into the soils and permafrost. Many other sites were visually examined to assess the extent of natural rehabilitation over time following ground disturbances. The hummocky ground NE of Hutt Point was investigated to determine its stability while frozen ground features were examined in a number of recently formed bulldozer cut sections. The sites used for this investigation were re-examined to see what visible indications there were of disturbance and the rate of surface recovery following boot impact disturbances. A criteria table was created for impact assessment by field parties.

Description:
The Ross Sea Region Soils database, run by Landcare Research, New Zealand, stores information on soil site and soil pit horizon data from 35 years of soil studies by the investigators and their associates. There are >900 sites in the database but they are currently not sorted.

Campbell, I.B. Claridge, G.G.C. Balks, M.R. 1990 The properties of permafrost, it’s relationship to landscape and the environmental implications of land and permafrost modification. Antarctic record 10(2): 19-21